In Smalley and Trent's book The Blessing, they cite a UCLA study which showed that for emotional and physical health, one needs 8-10 meaningful touches from a significant person EVERY DAY.
I am enjoying many meaningful touches from 2 and 3 year old hands now that I am in Nashville, but not that many. As a widow, I find that touches are hard to come by.
One of the lovely things about going to church is getting hugged a lot--I enjoy that too. How long has it been since you hugged a widow or a single at church? Caring words are nice, cards are nice, but there are times when we all need "someone with skin on."
Look at the many times in the NT when Jesus touched--especially those people he was not supposed to. He didn't hesitate to touch lepers--surely the most untouchables of that era. And he took little children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16). He didn't mind the touch of the woman who bathed him in perfume.
I know there can be problems with touch in this era of crass sexuality, but I leave you with the challenge to touch someone meaningfully today.
"I never like the giving of the hand, unless the entire body accompanies it!" Ralph Waldo Emerson
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